A Merry Christmas
by Millemini
Summary: Just a little silly holiday story that came into my head the other day. Post season 3; Annie and Auggie have been dating for a while and when neither of them get enough time off work to go see their families they decide to celebrate Christmas together. There's tree shopping and decorating and lots of other stuff. Enjoy! I guess it's my Christmas present to my readers. :o)
1. Chapter 1

**Hit a bit of a roadblock on "To Live Again" so I decided to let the muse play with something else. :o)**

**Since Christmas is less than 2 weeks away I figured I'd do a holiday themed story with A&A. Enjoy :o)**

**DISCLAIMER: As usual; I don't own anything. Just like playing around w the characters.**

* * *

**-Chapter 1-**

"I think you're staring at me," Auggie mumbled, he was drifting somewhere between asleep and awake. He'd registered that Annie was awake a while earlier, and for the past couple of minutes he'd had a feeling that she was staring at him.

"I am," Annie said as she placed a kiss on his cheek. "How do you know that?"

"It's a sixth sense, well actually a fifth…," Auggie said with a small, self conscious laugh. "But ya know, it's not fair to stare at a blind guy. It's not like I can reciprocate."

"Stop whining Aug, you do just fine in the reciprocating department and you know it. You don't get any kind of sympathy from me by playing the blind card."

"Harsh!" Auggie said as he reached over and pulled Annie closer to him. To his disappointment she'd pulled on what he assumed was one of his t-shirts. "And now you're stealing my clothes?"

"It's not like I have a robe here and I don't feel like cooking breakfast naked."

"You're cooking us breakfast? I guess we're having yoghurt and cereal," Auggie chuckled.

"Very funny. I might not be Danielle's caliber in the kitchen, but I make a mean omelet."

"The fire extinguisher is on the bottom of the broom cupboard, right side, all the way back in the corner," Auggie said matter of factly. That earned him a pillow in his face. "Hey, that's not fair."

"What?"

"Throwing stuff at the blind guy without warning me first."

"Shut up and go shower," Annie said as she got out of Auggie's bed and headed down to the kitchen. Auggie laughed and untangled himself from the covered and headed into the bathroom. He was surprised at how easily Annie fitted into his life. They had adjusted to each other effortlessly and there hadn't been any of the awkward 'get used to living with a blind guy' moments he'd experienced with Parker. Annie knew to place her shoes somewhere out of the way so he didn't trip over them and didn't move his things. He hadn't needed to have 'the talk' with Annie, and he was infinitely grateful for that. When he was with Parker it had been a case of constant repetition.

* * *

Half an hour later they were sitting by the breakfast bar in Auggie's kitchen, sipping coffee. They had finished their breakfast and while Annie had cleaned up the kitchen Auggie had prepared another pot of coffee.

"You're staring again," he chuckled. "Do I have food on my face or a stain on my shirt you haven't told me about?"

"No stains or food on your face. You're perfect and I'm just enjoying the view," Annie answered with a smile.

"You think I'm perfect?" Auggie asked with disbelief lacing his voice.

"Absolutely," Annie said as she wrapped her arms around Auggie's neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

"For the record I think you're perfect too," Auggie said with a smile as they broke apart. "And I have something I want to talk to you about."

"What?" Annie asked as she refilled their coffees and climbed onto her stool again.

"Danielle and Michael are staying in California for Christmas, right?"

"Yeah. Danielle's catering business has really blossomed over the past few months and she's got several Christmas events booked. Between her catering gigs and Michael's promotion they just don't have the time to travel across the country. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I only got Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off this year, so travelling to Glencoe to see my family is out of the question. You only have those two days off too, right?"

"Yeah. How did you know? Joan told me yesterday, right before we left work."

"I've got Langley wired, you should know that by now," Auggie chuckled.

"True."

"Anyway, I was thinking that if you don't have any other plans we could celebrate Christmas together."

"I'd love that."

"Great! Let's go tree shopping today," Auggie suggested.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Lets buy a Christmas tree. There's a tree lot a couple of blocks away, where the run down old condominium was, remember? I passed it the other day. Heard the music and smelled the pine."

"You wanna get a Christmas tree? A real one?"

"It's part of the tradition, right? I have lights and decorations in a storage crate down in the basement."

"Yeah…it's just…you never struck me as a big Christmas decorator. It's not like you can see it all."

"That's why I want a real tree. At least I can enjoy the smell," Auggie smirked.

* * *

**Are you ready for Christmas with A&A?**

**Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. **

**You know the muse and I love it. :o)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks a bunch for the reviews, follows and favorites. Love 'em :o)**

**With this story I want to do frequent updates and finish fairly soon, which means that the chapters won't be very long. Mostly give or take 1000 words will be the average I think.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything; not Annie, nor Auggie or anything Covert Affairs.**

* * *

**-Chapter 2-**

"Have you thought about how big the tree should be?" Annie asked Auggie as they got ready to go down to the tree lot. "And where do you want to put it? I know you're not a huge fan of rearranging."

"Well, I figured it would be kind of out of the way over in that corner," Auggie said as he pointed in the general direction of his bedroom.

"Good thinking," Annie confirmed. "Height won't be a problem, but I guess should steer clear of the wider trees."

Auggie nodded as he zipped his coat closed and grabbed his gloves, keys and cane from the side table across from the door.

"Are you ready?" he asked Annie.

"All god to go!" she said with a smile as she pulled her knitted cap on and joined him by the door.

They chatted about the upcoming holidays while they walked down the street toward the tree lot. As they approached the smell of the trees and the Christmas music playing brought a boyish smile to Auggie's face.

"Look at you," Annie laughed. "All excited like a little kid."

"I happen to like Christmas and although I'm a bit disappointed that I'm not able to go to Illinois and see my family like I'd hoped to I'm glad I'm spending the holiday with you."

"That feeling is mutual. Honestly, I think Danielle and the girls are more disappointed with my absence than I am, especially since I'm spending Christmas with you. I had to promise to be on Skype when Chloe and Katia open their presents and I open mine from them. Oh, we're here. Time to hunt for the perfect tree."

They wandered up and down the isles of trees and finally they landed on a 6-foot tall spruce tree. Auggie gauged the height and nodded approvingly.

"Are you sure it's not a bit over the top?"

"Nope, it feels perfect," he said confidently, reaching out to touch a branch. "Smells perfect too."

* * *

Little over an hour later they had fixed the tree to Auggie's tree stand and had ventured down to his storage unit in the basement to get the crate with decorations. It turned out to be one large and one smaller crate. They stacked the small crate on top of the large one and Auggie walked in front, holding the large crate with his left hand, leaving the right free to navigate with his cane. They made it back to his apartment without incidents. They placed the crates next to the couch and Annie started carefully started unpacking them. She was surprised to find several small cardboard boxes filled with what looked like antique glass ornaments.

"Wow Auggie, these are beautiful." Annie exclaimed.

"What?" Auggie asked as he sat down next to her.

"These glass ornaments. They look like they're antiques."

"Oh, yeah. There are four or five small boxes of those glass ornaments in there. They belonged to my grandparents. I loved them as a kid and Grandma wanted me to have them."

"I'm afraid to take them out of here and hang them on the tree. I don't want to break them."

"They're going on the tree," Auggie said firmly. "Just make sure to place them on the branches I'm least likely to bump into, okay?"

"Got it."

"If you make sure the lights work I'll put them on the tree while you sort through the ornaments."

"Oh, sure. Give me a sec," Annie said and carefully rummaged through the box 'till she found two boxes of clear lights. "Here they are." She grabbed the boxes and plugged both into an outlet. "Oh, you only have clear lights."

"Never was a fan of the multicolored ones," Auggie shrugged. "Do they all work?"

"Looks like it. I'm putting the boxes on the windowsill closest to the tree, okay?"

"Listen, if you prefer multicolored lights I don't mind buying some. I grew up with clear lights and since the ornaments are so colorful I remember thinking adding colored lights would be a bit over the top."

"No need to run to Home Depot Aug. I prefer clear lights too," Annie said as she patted Auggie's arm reassuringly before she sat back down on the couch and resumed her exploration of the contents.

* * *

A couple of hours later Annie placed the last ornament on the tree. Auggie had done a surprisingly good job putting the lights on, she'd only had to make a few minor adjustments and it was perfect. It had taken longer than Annie had anticipated to put all the ornaments on the tree, but the fragile old glass ones had to be treated with care and she wanted it to be perfect. With a self-satisfied smile she took a step back and admired the final result.

"All done," she announced to Auggie who was sitting on the couch, fiddling with a piece of tissue paper. Annie noticed he looked a bit lost.

"Show me?" he asked, an uncharacteristic flicker of insecurity came across his face as he asked.

"C'mere," Annie said, grasping his hand. He followed her to the tree. For the next few minutes Annie described the tree to Auggie and guided his hand to each ornament as she described it. When she was done Auggie pulled her in for a hug and a passionate kiss.

"Thanks Annie," he whispered, as they pulled apart, resting their foreheads against each other. "That was amazing."

"I'm glad you liked it," Annie said with a mile as she pulled Auggie in for another kiss.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think in a review. :o)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the warm welcome, please be assured that every review, follow and favorite is greatly appreciated. I wish I had time to respond to each and every one, but between preparing for Christmas and hectic days at work I just don't have the time. I apologize for that.**

**DISCLAIMER: As usual...don't own ****anything except my own storyline.**

* * *

**-Chapter 3-**

The smell of spruce brought a smile to Auggie's face as he entered his apartment early Friday afternoon a week before Christmas, just like it had every time he'd entered his apartment since Annie and he had put the tree up the previous Sunday. He'd grown up with a real tree, his mother had always said that she'd rather have no tree than a fake tree, so the smell of the Christmas tree brought a back memories from his childhood. He quickly pulled his cane apart and put it on the tray on the table across from the door with his keys and wallet before he unbuttoned his coat and hung it in the closet inside his door. He made a detour to his stereo to put on some music, before he headed up to the bedroom to change out of his work clothes. He hoped Anne wouldn't be tied up at Langley for too long. Right before they were due to leave for the weekend Joan had given her an urgent translation that she had to do before she could leave. Auggie had offered to wait, but Annie had insisted that he should accept Barber's offer to give him a ride home. It would take her at least a couple of hours to finish, maybe more depending on how complicated it turned out to be.

* * *

Three hours later Auggie was sitting on his couch, trying to read a book, when his iPhone warbled on the coffee table in front of him. He quickly put the book aside and answered the phone.

"It's Auggie."

"Hey, it's me." It was Annie.

"Walker! Are you on your way over?"

A heavy sigh came through the phone.

"I guess that's a no?" he queried.

"Sorry Aug. Joan just dumped two more files on my desk she needs me to translate tonight and I'm still not done with the first one. I probably won't be done 'till closer to midnight, maybe even later."

"No need to apologize, I know how it is. I've done my fair share of late night decryptions myself over the years." Auggie was disappointed, but he was also well aware of the unpredictability of working for the CIA.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow…"

"I thought you were spending the night here?" Auggie didn't quite manage to hide his disappointment and surprise.

"I know that was the plan, but I don't want you to stay up waiting for me. I'll be over first thing in the morning. We can still have breakfast together."

"It won't be the same without my favorite part."

"Huh?"

"Waking up with you in my arms," Auggie said seductively. "C'mon Walker, you know I rarely go to bed before midnight anyway. We have tomorrow off and I was really looking forward to a lazy morning in bed with you."

"You really want me to come over, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I guess I'd better get back to work. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Can't wait," Auggie said and hung up the phone.

* * *

It was close to 1 am when Annie finally parked on the street outside Auggie's apartment. She was tired from the long workday, she'd been at the office since 7:30 in the morning and the past eight hours had been draining. The fact that she hadn't had anything to eat since lunch combined with focusing intently on the translations had caused a slight headache to pound in her head. Part of her just wanted to go to her own house, eat something, down a couple of painkillers and sleep it off, but the thought of waking up in Auggie's arm and the pleading tone in his voice had won her over. She grabbed her bag from the back seat and quickly made her way up the stairs and rang the doorbell.

"Who is it?" Auggie's deep baritone voice came through the door.

"Annie," she answered. Annie tried her best to sound perky, but she didn't quite succeed. The door slid open, revealing Auggie, dressed in a pair of sleep pants and a faded t-shirt with a worried look on his face.

"Are you okay? You don't sound too good."

"I'm just tired and my head is pounding. Paying the price for not eating since lunch and staring at a screen pretty much non-stop for seven hours."

Annie stepped inside and watched as Auggie closed the door to his apartment and locked it before he turned back to her.

"Can I get you anything? Maybe you should eat something?"

"Do you have any Tylenol?"

"Yeah. They're in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Top shelf, right side. You didn't answer my other question?"

"Huh?"

"Maybe you should eat something?"

"It's late Auggie. I'll just down a couple of Tylenol and go to bed. Hopefully it's gone in the morning," Annie said as she placed her boots and coat in the closet by the door and grabbed her bag. "I'll just grab a shower real quick."

As soon as he heard the bathroom door sliding closed behind Annie Auggie got to work in the kitchen. He wasn't about to let Annie go to bed hungry and with a pounding head. If her headaches were anything like she wasn't very likely to feel better in the morning if she didn't eat something. He found a can of tomato soup in the drawer and quickly poured it into a pot and added water to it. He brought it to a boil while stirring and then he turned down the heat to let it simmer while he prepared the grilled cheese sandwiches. Just as the bathroom door opened again the sandwiches were done. He quickly got plates, bowls and flatware out and placed everything on the kitchen island next to the hob.

"Auggie, what is this?"

"What does it look like? I do hope it looks like tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, but I'm not the best judge of that," Auggie replied with a crooked grin as he placed the sandwiches on the plates.

"Funny. It's just…it's almost 1:30 am…" Annie said as she grabbed the ladle Auggie handed to her.

"And you haven't eaten since lunch. I'm not letting you go to bed without getting some food in your stomach."

"Thanks Auggie. It smells delicious," Annie said as she filled their bowls with soup.

"It's just canned tomato soup Annie," Auggie chuckled as he grabbed his spoon and started eating. "It's not exactly a Michelin-star worthy meal."

"To me it is," Annie said sincerely and leaned over and placed a kiss on Auggie's cheek. They finished the meal in silence and when they were done eating they quickly rinsed the dirty dishes and stacked them in the dishwasher before they headed to bed. They both fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

**More Christmas stuff to come in the next chapter, this one turned out to be a bit of a filler.**

**Please leave me a review and let me know if you like it. :o)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I had intended to finish this story in time for Christmas, but I was down with the flu the last week before the holiday and I still wasn't feeling well when the family invasion started on Saturday. I've just not had the time or the energy to write 'till tonight.**

**Appreciate all the reviews, follows and favorites.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Just like to play around. :o)**

* * *

**-Chapter 4-**

The following morning Auggie woke up with Annie curled up next to him. Her head was resting on his shoulder and judging from her calm and even breathing she was still sleeping. He idly played with a strand of her hair and drifted back to a slumber. A while later he felt Annie stir and she gently kissed his cheek before she lay back down, snuggling even closer to him.

"Morning," he mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

"Hey you…didn't mean to wake you."

"I've been half awake for a while, so don't worry about it," Auggie said with a smile as he tucked a strand of hair behind Annie's ear and kissed her forehead. "How's your head today?"

"All good. Thanks for feeding me last night, I'm pretty sure that helped a lot."

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you go to bed starving, with a pounding head? I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Me too. So, what's your grand plan for today?"

"Except for relaxing in bed with you and eating a late breakfast?"

"Mhmm…"

"Nah, not really. Except maybe a little bit of this," Auggie said as he pulled Annie closer to him and placed a kiss on her lips. The kiss escalated into passionate love making and it was nearly noon before they untangled themselves from the rumpled sheets; Auggie headed for the shower and Annie went down to the kitchen to prepare a pot of coffee.

* * *

An hour they had finished their breakfast and Auggie was preparing a second pot of coffee. Annie couldn't help enjoying the view of his back. He was wearing a pair of well fitting worn jeans and a fitted navy Henley shirt that showed off his narrow waist and toned upper body. After he'd turned the coffee maker on he turned around with a smile on his face.

"What?" Annie asked.

"You're doing it again."

"What's that?"

"You're staring at me," Auggie said as he leaned against the counter with an amused, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought we agreed that staring at the blind guy isn't fair."

"I never said I play fair," Annie said teasingly as she walked around the kitchen island and put her hands on Auggie's shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her back and smiled as he felt the soft cashmere sweater she was wearing.

"Soft," he whispered as he leaned forward and kissed Annie on the forehead. "Cashmere, right?"

"Mhmm. Birthday present from Danielle last year."

"What color is it?"

"Lavender. And I'm wearing jeans that are just as worn as yours."

"Thanks Annie," Auggie said with a warm smile. He kissed her forehead again and turned to the coffee maker that had finished brewing a few moments earlier.

After refilling their mugs they headed over to the couch where they set them down on the coffee table and sat down on the couch.

"I guess we should start planning our Christmas celebration," Auggie said. "What are your family's traditions?"

"On Christmas Eve we usually have a nice dinner and just play games and relax. Nothing big really. Christmas day starts early with unwrapping gifts, then Danielle usually serves a big breakfast. After breakfast everyone gets dressed and go for a walk while Danielle prepare the big meal. That's it really. We moved around so much when I was a kid, so we never really established many traditions. What about your family?"

Auggie chuckled and had a sip of coffee.

"I guess my family is completely opposite of yours when it comes to holiday traditions. All of my family lives in the Chicago area and everyone gathers at my parents' house to celebrate Christmas. Last year we were about 20 people, it's crazy, but in a good way."

"Are you sad that you're gonna miss it this year?"

"It's not the first time it happens and I'm not stuck at Langley or sitting alone here this year. We'll be together," Auggie said with a smile. "What about you? Are you sad you're not spending Christmas with your sister and nieces?"

"Not since we decided to spend the holiday together. I miss Danielle a lot on a daily basis, being with her and the girls always felt so normal if you know what I mean."

Auggie nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. When I first moved out here after I was recruited by the Agency my oldest brother lived up in Baltimore. Whenever I had the chance I'd drive up there and spend the weekend with him, his wife and their kids. I really missed them for a while after they moved back to the Chicago area."

Annie curled up next to Auggie, who wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm glad I have you Auggie."

"And I'm glad I've got you Walker."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while before they started to plan the holiday.

* * *

The Thursday before Christmas both Annie and Auggie got off work at 4 in the afternoon and after shutting down her computer and grabbing her coat and keys Annie headed into Tech Ops. Auggie was shutting down his computer when Annie entered his office. The sound of her heels brought a smile to his face.

"Walker! Ready to get out of here?" he asked as he put his laser cane into his top desk drawer and grabbed his folded white cane out of there. After shrugging into his jacket he took Annie's offered arm and followed her to her car. When they were both seated in the front seats they kissed quickly, but passionately before they bucked in and Annie started the car.

Twenty minutes later Annie pulled into the parking lot at a supermarket just outside DC. When she parked the car and turned off the ignition Auggie leaned his head against the headrest, closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"What?" Annie queried.

"You're really making me go grocery shopping, aren't you?"

"Auggie, I still don't see what the big deal about this is. We're buying food for Christmas. Simple as that."

"We could've written a list this weekend as I suggested and had the food delivered at my apartment on Saturday," he grumbled.

"Stop whining and get out of the car," Annie said with a laugh as she unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. Auggie reluctantly followed suit and as soon as he'd slammed the car door shut he unfurled his cane and made his way to the back of the car where he met Annie and latched on to her arm. Annie noticed that he kept his cane out and the set of his jaw as she led the way to the entrance. Once inside they grabbed a cart and after a little bit of trial and error they settled on Auggie pushing and Annie steering. It actually worked well and when they reached the check out stands almost an hour later Auggie's demeanor was relaxed and he seemed to enjoy himself.

* * *

"Was it that bad?" Annie asked as she pulled back into traffic and headed towards Auggie's apartment in Adams Morgan.

"No it wasn't. I was just nervous, I haven't been to a grocery store since I was in rehab and one of my instructors forced me as part of my training. I accidentally knocked over a big stack of cans and caused a huge commotion. I was already feeling self conscious about being in public and that just put me over the edge. I had a major panic attack and I flat out refused to go back to the grocery store after that."

"I see how that must've been really embarrassing. So you've not been to a grocery store for what? Five years?"

"More or less that," he shrugged. "Unless you count the deli down the street from my apartment."

"Well, I'm glad your first grocery store experience since rehab was a good one and I hope it wasn't our last one. I enjoy buying my own food."

"As long as I'm with you I think I can deal with grocery shopping once in a while," Auggie said with a sincere smile. "Thanks Annie."

"For what?" Annie was puzzled.

"For making my life feel so normal again. For making me feel so normal." Auggie's voice was laced with emotion and Annie heard the sincerity in is words. She didn't know how to respond, so she simply reached over, grabbed Auggie's hand and gave it a squeeze. They rode the rest of the way back to his apartment in silence.

* * *

**The next chapter will tie up the story and will be all about our favorite couple's Christmas celebration.**

**Please leave me a word and let me know what you think :o)**


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